Maritimers bring taste of Atlantic Ocean to South Surrey

A couple of Maritimers, who recently moved to South Surrey, have brought the taste of the Atlantic Ocean with them.

Rob Muise and his business partner Loretta Corporon moved to British Columbia last year.

After a number of friends and acquaintances asked if he could get his hands on Atlantic seafood, Muise said a business opportunity presented itself.

“Are you serious? Of course we can get seafood. Not only can we get seafood, we can get the best seafood,” Muise told Peace Arch News last week.

Muise and Corporon opened Maritime Seafoods Inc., located at 19162 22 Ave., last October.

The shop offers only Atlantic seafood, which both Muise and Corporon’s family have a long history of harvesting off the coast of southwest Nova Scotia.

Muise said an advantage his company has is the personal connection they share with the fishermen and processing plants back home.

“We have people come in and ask us how old is our product?” Muise said. “Our product is not old. It’s not going through a broker system to make its way to us. It goes from the plant processors to us. There is no middle people involved.”

Another advantage, Muise said, is his knowledge of the industry. Muise used to run a restaurant on the east coast, and has been lobster fishing, haddock fishing and scallop fishing.

“I can take apart a lobster with a butter knife in about three minutes. Take all of the meat out, complete whole chunks. It’s not hard, I can almost do it blindfolded, been doing it all of our life,” Muise said.

Muise said his company has no interest in selling Pacific seafood, as there’s already great product available on the market.

The shop, which is opened Tuesday-Sunday, sells haddock, live and frozen lobster, Digby scallops and Digby clams.